


Our Last Days of Summer

by shamebucket



Category: Room No. 9 (Visual Novel)
Genre: Airports, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-31 03:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12123840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamebucket/pseuds/shamebucket
Summary: The first few hours of our heroes' vacation.No spoilers (unless you count promo materials/summaries/the demo as spoilers?)





	Our Last Days of Summer

The humidity is more intense than I prefer, but, all in all, it is a beautiful summer day. The sun is rising low in the sky, but there are no indications that this will be a bad day to travel at all. The sunset was a brilliant red last night, too, which bodes well for today. 

I spent the past few days preparing for vacation, but I have to make sure I was thorough (once again) this morning before departing. As I woke, before the sun started rising, I was grateful that I had gone to bed early, despite Daichi trying to get me to talk into the night. ("We'll have plenty of time to talk starting tomorrow," I gently but firmly told him, and he had to admit that I was right.) Since then, I have showered, ate, and dressed, but I can't stop thinking about the rise and fall of his voice as he wished me goodnight. He is excited for this. Inside me, something warms and expands at the thought of his incredible anticipation for our time spent together, although it is best not to dwell on it and let it naturally come and fade. I shake my head and check my backpack one last time. I take out my tablet and quickly double-check that my downloaded books are still there, and they are. I am unsure if I will have time to read at all this vacation, but I would like to have something to do in case it rains on any of our ten days. Clothing, toiletries (now that my toothbrush and toothpaste are in there too), cigarettes, light hiking supplies, personal effects are all present... Everything seems to be in order - I am sure the hotel could point me in the direction of a convenience store if I happened to forget something, but that is much more Daichi's style than mine. I'd rather not worry about hiccups when we get there. I'd like our vacation to be perfect. 

Making sure everything is tucked away and folded neatly, I zip up the bag and put it on. It's not very heavy, although it is bulky. I wonder if Daichi packed as thoroughly as I did. ...Most likely not, but I accounted for that as well. I brought some extra toiletries and cash in case he needs something. Even though I do not have a job of my own at the moment, my parents make sure I do not want for anything, and I know Daichi does not have that luxury for himself. It's the least I can do, considering he paid for this vacation - I wish I could do more. Maybe I will figure something out to make our contributions to the vacation a little more even. Perhaps I can spring for a trip somewhere across the island, or something similar... I know I wasn't the original intended recipient, but Daichi is still doing this for me at my light insistence. It would be nice to do something good for him, too. 

I dislike saying goodbye as a general rule, but it's best if my parents know that I am leaving. My mother wakes up early, like I tend to, and is sitting at the kitchen table when I go downstairs. It's best to get this over with quickly, so I don't mince words. "I'm going now. I'll be sure to call you when I arrive at the hotel safely." 

She smiles at me over her tea and nods. "I hope you have a good time, Seiji. Don't worry too much about me and your father - Daichi is a dear friend of yours, and you're an adult. Accidents rarely happen. I trust that you will be fine even if you don't call." 

"Thank you." Before I go, I hug her and kiss her cheek. She rubs my back, and waves at me after I let go of her. I do not say goodbye to my father, but he is likely sleeping after a long night at work. He deserves the rest - I didn't appreciate how hard he works when I was a child, but he does much to look after the family. 

Outside, it is as lovely as I thought it might be. The sky is clear, both here and two thousand kilometers away, according to forecasts. It should be around lunchtime when we arrive, so maybe, in twelve hours, I will have already been on the beach and swam with my best friend. It's always a little strange, thinking about the future when you're going on vacation like this. Uprooting yourself from the security of your everyday life to go on a trip. This is the first one I've taken in quite some time, and it's the first that I've taken with Daichi. (A part of me wonders, quietly, if this will be the first of many... but my attention shifts to the train pulling into the station before I can let that thought take root.) 

The train to the airport isn't as bad as I thought it may be. It is still fairly early, after all. I wonder if Daichi thought ahead and considered congestion that is typical of the rush hour commute. While there are no students going to school at this time of year (being vacation and all), there will still be the steady stream of businessmen going to work starting shortly. I message him on RHINE, hoping that the buzz of his phone might wake him up if he isn't already preparing to leave. As I put my phone back in my pocket, I zone out, staring blankly at the city flying by me, barely paying attention to time passing until I see the ocean. Almost at the airport, now. I check my phone, and Daichi messaged me back. 

>I'm awake I'm awake  
There is a twenty minute interval between that message and the next.   
>Seriously Seiji, you worry too much  
>No way was I gonna sleep in and miss our flight  
>I got everything ready last night so I could nap a little before hopping on the train, that's all!  
>I'm on my way~ ε=┏(*`＞ω<)┛

I lean against the side of the train and message him back. 

>Good. I am almost there myself, so I will see you shortly. 

He replies within a minute. 

>Awesomeee! I can't wait! 

I smile fondly at the message for nearly a full minute before the train arrives at the airport. 

It turns out that Daichi wasn't lying. He looks a little tired, but he arrives maybe a half hour after I do. I pass the time outside, taking my last smoke for the last time in a few hours and triple checking that my toiletries do not exceed 100 ml. It isn't an exceptionally crowded morning, and we are catching a somewhat early flight, but Daichi takes a minute before he sees me. I do not miss how his face lights up when he sees me, and it makes me - excited, I think. That must be it. His excitement is contagious. He runs to greet me, and I crush my cigarette in my portable ashtray. "Seiji! There you are!" When he reaches me, he hugs me firmly. Daichi isn't as physically strong as I am, as he has pointed out multiple times in the past, but he's still a man and does manual labor most days. It's not enough to knock the wind out of me, but it's enough to feel sturdy. It's pleasant. 

I pat his backpack in return, preferring to not draw attention to our kinship in the public eye (especially not in the small smoking area), and pull away. "You're here." 

Daichi poses. "I'm here~! Awake and ready to go! Wide awake, definitely awake!" 

He's trying much too hard. I shake my head. "Are you ready to go in? There's about an hour until our flight." 

"Yep!" He rubs his eyes. "Might be nice to grab a quick bite, too. Man, I was gonna sleep a little later, but I didn't wanna keep you waiting." 

"Let's go then." There's a nagging inner voice that wants me to grab his hand and take him in myself, but I do not listen to it. 

We manage to go through security with little incident. Daichi only seems to notice the size of my bag when it gets inspected, his eyes widening as it goes through the x-ray machine. "Whoa, what do you have packed in there? It's pretty big!" 

"Things I need. You packed lighter." 

Daichi grins and puffs out his chest. "Well, yeah. Who needs a ton of crap when you've got a good buddy and the ocean in front of you?" 

I close my eyes. "You make a fair point." 

"There's a lot of stuff to do, I don't even know where to start after going to the beach!" He grins conspiratorially and unzips his bag slightly to show me the spoils he is bringing with him. "I got some condoms in case we find some hot babes." 

"Thank you for sharing," I say dryly. 

"Come on, it's vacation, lighten up! Girls are totally into you, you should take advantage of it." He pats my back. "I'll even let you have the hotel room if you need it for a couple of hours. Just say the word. You really need to get laid more often, being as hot as you are." 

"I'll pass." Daichi knows that I'm not particularly interested in having casual encounters, but it appears as if he's looking forward to experiencing some of his own. Just as well. Daichi likes having sex and there are sure to be people that are also interested who are vacationing in the same area. I'm sure he'll find someone. Maybe it will work out and it will be less than casual, but, given his track record... a part of me can't help but want him to wait and be with someone who is looking for something more serious. He deserves someone who is going to treat him kindly and not solely be interested in his... parts. He has plenty of lovable traits aside from being (allegedly) good in bed. 

He shrugs and changes the subject. "There's a cafe over there. I was thinking I'd get a snack and some juice, want me to grab you anything?" 

"I can pay. You've paid for most of this trip already." 

Daichi pouts. "C'mon! It's just a coffee." 

I suppose I can pay for lunch later in return, I reason with myself. "A double espresso, thank you. I'll bring your bag closer to the gate." 

"Alright!" He gives me his bag, and I walk over to the seating by our flight and sit down, placing his bag next to my seat. I check my phone briefly, making sure that I didn't get any important messages or I left any emails unattended before leaving, and Daichi comes back promptly with some orange juice and a croissant and a small hot cup for me. "Here you go." 

"Thanks." I sip it as I read the news. Daichi is playing a game on his phone as he chomps into his food, so it's not rude. Nothing particularly interesting or different about today. I wonder what book I should read first when we arrive at the hotel, if there's some downtime... 

Before long, we board the plane. Somehow, waiting with somebody else makes the time go by faster, even if Daichi and I said very little as he ate. I reminded him to wipe his face, and he grinned sheepishly at me before running back to grab a napkin. Nothing I can do can change who Daichi is, probably for the better. I think this to myself as Daichi made it so I had the window seat. Very considerate of him. He knows that is my preference when it comes to transportation. We tuck our bags in the overhead compartments and settle in, reading the mandatory safety cards and waiting for the plane to be filled and attendants come by to make sure we are following all the procedures correctly. 

Daichi yawns. "I'm probably gonna nap on the flight... sorry if you were looking forward to talking." 

"It's alright. We can talk when we arrive." 

"Yeah, that's true." The plane starts moving. He smiles sleepily at me. "I'm excited to wake up in a completely different place. It's going to be really fun." 

"It will be." 

We fall back in our seats as the plane starts its ascent. Flying makes me slightly nervous, but I know logically that there is little risk. Besides, Daichi is here. As the plane starts coasting, I yawn, popping my ears. I take a magazine out of the seat pocket in front of me and start reading it, skimming through ads of things that most people probably don't need (although my father may entertain buying, regardless). Before long, I feel Daichi's head resting against my shoulder. I peek, trying to not move my head much. He's fast asleep. I decide not to move him, and let him sleep on me for the duration of our two hour flight.

~*~

Daichi wakes up refreshed when we land, not commenting on how he rested on me for a few hours. I'm a little cranky from staying still for so long and being without a cigarette. He is practically bouncing off the walls in excitement, which I would find endearing if we had a game plan and knew where exactly we were going. I smoke, we make small talk and look around, I remind him (somewhat impatiently) that we are in Japan and not a foreign country, and I find our bus to take us to our hotel. He seems grateful, and I'm thankful that smoking seems to have taken most of the edge off. My shoulder is slightly sore still, but it will fade, as all aches and pains do. I can't think of a pain that I've endured that has been permanent.

It's not very full. There's a couple with a young child, and a few other single people. I wonder if Daichi and I stand out, but I can't think about it for too long. As the doors close and the driver turns on the bus, I start to feel... strange. The last thing I remember before my consciousness fades is thinking about how heavy my head feels (despite being slightly annoyed and wide awake earlier), and then how comfortable Daichi's shoulder is. And then, vaguely, the weight of his head on mine.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello to readers from The Future (tm)! I'm really sorry if there are mistakes in this in terms of canonicity, the game wasn't translated at the time of me writing this and I'm working off of my (admittedly pretty novice) understanding of Japanese. Thanks for understanding! 
> 
> For everyone else, man, happy first anniversary of the demo coming out. Weird that it's been a year already. Who knew a niche porn game would take up so much time in my life?


End file.
